


Justice

by Ononymous



Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Crime Fighting, Gen, Post-Canon, Post-Undertale Pacifist Route, Teenage Asriel Dreemurr
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-10
Updated: 2017-07-10
Packaged: 2018-11-30 05:42:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,406
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11457171
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ononymous/pseuds/Ononymous
Summary: The man hadn't expected anybody that night, let alone the Prince of Monsters, and let alone the Prince of Monsters wanting to talk about ancient history...





	Justice

Running his hands through his silver-specked hair, the man continued filling out the paperwork he needed to bring to the next board meeting in two days time. Why the hell did Janice's vacation have to come up now? How was he meant to lay the groundwork for that acquisition if he also had to answer this damn lawsuit? Christ, he needed a drink.

Pouring himself a whiskey, he flicked on the radio to try and clear his thoughts. A brief update on the economic impact of Monsters reappearing a few years ago and how Ebott City was thriving. He didn't care. He lived there for a while once, but it was only for the job. He was glad to get out of there even when it wasn't filled with weirdos.

Knocking back his drink, he toyed with taking something to give him a boost, but before he could fish anything out, there was a knock on the door. Breathing heavily, he half called for Janice, remembered she wasn't there, and awkwardly got to his feet and clambered down to the front door. Probably another server of papers because those idiots wouldn't listen to a word he said and wouldn't wait on the bill passing before trying that crap. He opened the door.

"Howdy!"

It was too bizarre and unexpected to react with anything but a blank stare. A creature of white fur, up to his chin in height, was standing on the doorstep, clawed hand offered in greeting. There was a blunt muzzle with two prominent fangs currently peeking over what looked like a sincere smile, complimented by bright green eyes and shoulder-length floppy ears. He - it sounded male anyway - was barefoot with large paws, but otherwise fully dressed. A green t-shirt matched the eyes, and was wrapped in a sturdy brown outdoors jacket, with brown pants completing the look. A small emblem of wings and three triangles on a purple background was patched on the right hand breast pocket. Two roughly six inch horns as white as the rest of him rested on his head, mostly straight but beginning to curve near the tips. The agitation and annoyance he had felt was suppressed by the disarming air the monster appeared to have.

"My name is Asriel Dreemurr, and I am Prince of the Monsters! You're Robert Coline, correct?"

The surprisingly human-looking hand was still offered. Robert absently took it in a brief but firm shake. "...yes."

"Mind if I come in and have a chat?"

"Uh... sure."

A few years ago Robert might have panicked. But that hadn't served him well early in his career, so a poker face would suffice. Besides, the papers had suggested the leader of the Monsters was a furry horned thing, so if this one had any connection to them, it could be an opportunity to do business with the whole lot. There had been feelers by some companies and even a stupid bubble had formed when someone claimed exclusive trade rights with them, but nothing concrete had formed. Maybe he could pour some concrete on a foundation tonight?

"Take a seat Mister, uh, Dreemurr. Would you care for a drink?"

"That's very nice of you Mister Coline, but no thank you. Can't say my Mother would approve."

The two walked into the darkened living room. Robert clapped twice and the gas fire started up. He poured a slightly more expensive whiskey than he had upstairs, and they sat in the chairs next to the mantelpiece.

"So you're Prince of the Monsters?"

"Yup! You may have heard of my Father, King Asgore?"

"Vaguely. I'll be honest, I haven't followed the Ebott situation closely. Some of us have lives to live."

"I'm sure you do..." Asriel murmured softly. Robert missed the remark during a sip of his whiskey.

"So what brings you to my house so late? Does your father need some sort of legal representation? I can't help directly, but if you're interested in contacting our offices in the morning-"

"Oh, sorry, you've misunderstood." Asriel chuckled and raised his hands apologetically. "This isn't official business, it's something of a personal matter."

Robert raised his eyebrows. Disappointed, a little annoyed at the profitless interruption to his work, but curious. For now.

"You see, as part of establishing contact with the outside world, for the past few years my Father has been cross-referencing our histories with surface records. Golly, you have a lot. We're trying to set things straight where we can. A lot of what we're accused of doing is exaggerated or completely made up, but there are a few things he... we did, and he has taken it upon himself to visit those affected by that and personally offer restitution."

Robert took another sip of his whiskey, intrigued and sensing a potential windfall. "And this is part of that? The monsters have wronged me in some way? Well I'm flattered he's so considerate, but this is probably a matter best discussed through my attorney-"

"Well, yes and no. By all rights we _should_ have wronged you. But a little bird told me you don't really see it that way."

"A little bird? And who would be in a position to tell you that?"

"Jimmy."

The air froze. Robert's whiskey glass slipped a little, and Asriel noticed it. Robert kept his poker face, but there was a hairline fracture in his pupils contracting. Asriel remained as pleasant as ever.

"And who is Jimmy?"

It was Asriel's turn for his eyes to lose something. Or perhaps gain it.

"Golly, I figured you'd know! Well maybe Sarah could jog your memory?"

A bead of sweat added another crack to Robert's mask, but he rallied admirably.

"Hmm, come to think of it, I used to work with a Sarah thirty or so years ago. Sarah... Bellington, was it?"

"Bellingham, actually."

"You've... you've talked to her."

"Not yet. My Dad will visit her in a day or two. I persuaded him to hold off until I had a chance to talk to you."

Impatience entered Robert's tone for the first time. "And what do you want to talk to me about?"

"About what you did."

The fire offered no warmth. 

"And what. Do you think. I did?"

"Well, I think it's important you understand the whole story as we do first. Sarah Bellingham worked for you as an intern for a couple of years. Not long after she quit, she had a baby boy. Jimmy. They didn't have much, but they loved each other, and because she had to work a lot to pay the bills, she encouraged him to be independent, but also never to hesitate to act when he saw something wrong or unfair happening."

Robert's face remained stony, but his eyes were alive with calculation.

"Well one day Jimmy went to a friend's house after school, and they played Cowboys and Indians. Funny, we called it Monsters and Humans where I come from. Anyway, as it grew dark, Jimmy left his friend and was walking home to his mom's house. 

"He never made it there."

Asriel fished in his breast pocket, extracted some paper, unfolded it and handed it to Robert.

"As far as humans know, this is what happened."

> CHILD KIDNAPPERS SENTENCED
> 
> EBOTT - On Tuesday of this week, two men were sentenced to imprisonment for the kidnapping of local child James "Jimmy" Bellingham.
> 
> Horace Michaelson (32) of Tenot received twenty five years after being convicted, and Kevin McDaird (29) of Dethre received fifteen years, an arrangement by plea bargain.
> 
> On October 2nd of 20XX, Jimmy was last seen leaving a friend's house to return home. Eyewitness accounts placed a rusty Ford van nearby Jimmy's approximate location ten minutes after leaving his friend.
> 
> On October 4th, this rusty van was found crashed on a sharp bend on a country road leading away from Ebott City, but near Mount Ebott. Michaelson and McDaird were found unconscious inside the van, and though DNA evidence later confirmed Jimmy's presence, he could not be located. An extensive search and rescue operation was launched, but no trace of Jimmy was ever found.
> 
> According to McDaird's testimony against his accomplice, they were attempting to move the child to a safehouse away from prying eyes, when the child slipped his bonds and attacked the driver, causing the van to crash, and then fled his captors. It is believed this testimony, along with failure to find a body, is why Michaelson was found not guilty of first degree murder at the trial last month.
> 
> Despite the plea bargain, neither Michaelson or McDaird have offered any motive for the kidnapping, though the District Attorney argued that an attempt to ransom him was surely their intent.
> 
> At time of writing, no sign of Jimmy Bellingham has emerged. Jimmy's mother, Sarah Bellingham (33) of Ebott, could not be reached for comment.

Robert lowered the article.

"What a tragedy." came the mechanical response. "If I had known, I'd have at least been able to offer my sympathies. I can't believe she kept that to herself."

"I don't think she did. She just didn't tell you."

Despite everything, not being considered important enough roused a stab of anger in Robert.

"Well what does a missing brat have to do with me?!"

"We're not there yet, Mister Coline. But we are where I come in. Well not me personally, this was technically before my time, but there's a reason the police never found Jimmy: He found us."

He was almost uninterested. "You mean he reached the Underearth or whatever?"

"Underground, yes. And unfortunately," Asriel looked uncomfortable for the first time ", he died down there."

"You mean you monsters killed him."

Asriel's ears twitched. The barbed remark had merely been an attempt to wound his guest, a cruel statement to distract him from this line of questioning. He knew nothing about monster psychology, but that twitch told him he was about as close to the truth as he could be. There was an opportunity here.

"I wasn't there, I don't know what happened, Mister Coline."

Robert sniffed with contempt. He heard that line routinely, saw that expression before. Even if this boy hadn't witnessed the deed, he knew enough to connect the dots. That might work in a corporate lawyer, but for whatever the hell this farce was...

"Then the kid's mother should file a wrongful death suit." he snarled. There was anger, but it it was unconnected to the crime they were discussing. "Or hell, the DA should rack up murder charges against your kind! I have his number, I can help her-"

"We've already settled two of those suits, that's what this is about." Asriel cut him off. Still sad, but now with iron in his stance. "As for murder... well privately, my father would probably agree with you. But a very good friend of mine served as our ambassador, and one of the first things they negotiated was for us to be indemnified for anything we did to break the barrier. They have a knack for bringing people around to their way of thinking."

"Bah!" he cried dismissively. The composure was slipping, but this too was an attempt to obfuscate. "What kind of idiot king sends a teenager to a stranger's house to tell a sob story that has _nothing_ to do with him?!"

This was another attempt to wound, but it had the opposite effect. Any doubt or sadness this kid had was gone, but the iron was still there, even stronger. And yet it was not accompanied by anger or anything. That increasingly irritating smile was back.

"I know I look pretty young for my age, but I've learned more than you think, Mister Coline."

"How the hell should I know what's 'young' for you- Whatever! So why is a teenager investigating a kid who died before he was born?"

"Never said I wasn't born back them," came the cryptic reply, "but anyway. My Dad never asked me to do this or anything. He'd be happy if I just stayed home with Mom and went to school. But I owe this. I owe this to Jimmy."

"What can a dead child do for you?"

"More than you think, Mister Coline. A lot more. In Jimmy's case, he was there when I was all alone. I wanted to be alone, thought it was for the best. But when the others moved on, he offered to stay. It wasn't the only offer on the table at the time, but this felt fairer to everyone. In return, all I had to do was figure out who brought him to that crashed van near Mount Ebott. Seems he's quite determined to get that resolved, if only for his Mom."

Robert had cultivated a knack for sensing when someone was withholding part of a story, and he reckoned Asriel could have written a book about what he wasn't saying. He didn't care though. His survival instincts were urging him to keep attacking.

"Well you have your answer, don't you? _She_ should have that answer! Two junkies probably trying to score ten Gs to get more smack! But they're not the reason she never saw him again, are they?"

The verbal jab only served to reinforce the steel in his guest's eyes. Then came his response.

"Well, they got more than ten thousand dollars, didn't they?"

The glass finally enjoyed a split second of freedom from Robert's grasp, only to blissfully smash on the wooden floor.

"Funny thing about being the son of a King with little bureaucracy, and a friend of the ambassador. It's really easy to get yourself all sorts of diplomatic credentials. And it can take you a long way when you want to find stuff out."

From another pocket, Asriel produced what looked like an oversized purple passport with the same insignia on his jacket, and he briefly opened it up to show official looking paperwork with his picture. His horns looked smaller in it.

"Tracing Michaelson and McDaird was easy enough, not like it was a secret. McDaird was paroled a couple of years ago, but Michaelson's still locked up. Still, easier than you think to get a chance to talk to both of them. They stuck to the official story for a while. But I had someone on hand to get them to spill the beans."

"Who?"

"I'm getting there, Mister Coline. Anyway, the secret version was so much more interesting! Even cool! A guy in a way too expensive suit turned up to their bar one night with fifteen thousand dollars, a photo and a bunch of forged paperwork. Seems they were meant to pick the boy in the photo up, drive a thousand miles or so in the direction of their choice and deposit him in an orphanage where nobody would ever have heard of him. I've a lot of experience with mercy in my time, more than I deserve, and that's the most peculiar version of it that I've ever seen."

Seeing where this was going, Robert felt compelled to actually start defending himself. He rallied with an expression of cold disdain.

"And you think this person was me? I've literally never been in a bar in my life."

"Oh don't get me wrong, I believe you. Going yourself woulda been pretty dumb. But with a bit of prodding, they remembered a fancy ring they wore that, and this is the craziest thing, looks like a ring your firm gives to junior partners." A shift subtly removed Robert's left hand from view. "And one of the firm's junior partners made senior not long after Jimmy disappeared."

"And what, Mister Dreemurr. Does this. Have to do. With me?" The disdain was fury now, but just as cold. "How do you even know?!"

"Well I have a lot of friends. One's a really good hacker. Another perseveres at reading documents to find connections. It's like a big puzzle to him, and he's better at it than you think. Human money is complicated, but you can generally track it down. We're pretty sure it all comes back to that account of yours in the Caymans. But anyway, here's what I found out: During the trial, McDaird's girlfriend visited him and told how the bill to her dealer had been cleared up. Michaelson's bill to his dealer was cleared up too, and his daughter was cleared for surgery she needed. Funny how you can be so nice in buying silence and not give a thought to your son-"

" ** _HE WASN'T MINE!_** "

The tension in the room that had been building for minutes snapped. Something in Asriel that wasn't Asriel quivered, but even if he had let it show, Robert wouldn't have noticed.

"You stupid goddamned goat! Prodding into things you have no business dealing with! I told the bitch to get rid of it, but she up and quits instead! I thought that was the end of it, but then she calls me and threatens me with a goddamned paternity suit! And my boss is such a hypocritical puritan even the whiff of something like that brings my career back to square one! What would you have me do? Marry her? I got an ex-wife already, I'm never going through that rigmarole again! Pay child support for a kid I never wanted? She should have been on the pill! Now I'm not heartless, I didn't want the kid dead, just out of the way so there's no standing for paternity! That's what those idiots were supposed to do, but they couldn't even think to keep him tied up properly. Doesn't matter though, you monsters fixed my problem for me!"

He was breathing heavily now. It was Asriel's turn for stoicism. The serious but inhuman face seemed bizarrely comical to Robert, eliciting a low chuckle.

"So what. Got a tape recorder in there? Gonna take it to the police?"

"Nah. Not our style."

"So then what?! You gonna kill me? Little Jimmy keeps you company and you think more murder's the answer-"

"No." It was simple, it was calm, but it had more force than a thousand shouts. Robert was silenced once again. "This isn't kill or be killed. That isn't justice."

"Justice?!" A mirthless laugh. "Then what is?"

"You confess. You tell Sarah what you did. You tell the police what you did. Heck, you can even tell McDaird and Michaelson you were behind it."

"And why the hell should I?"

"Our findings are ready to post. Should be in an hour or two unless I text in. You could probably weasel your way out of it with a lawyer, even avoid court, since a lot of it is circumstantial, but humans are great at drawing the wrong conclusion. I learned that the hard way. If your bosses are still 'hypocritical puritans', your career is probably over. I mean it's over either way, but surely a little closure would bring you peace?"

Peace. The word was painfully jagged. This, this _thing_ waltzes into _my_ house and threatens to destroy **_my_** life unless I destroy it for him-

Rationality was gone. The implications of attacking someone who boasted of so many friends in so many high places were not reaching the anger gripping his higher functions. The goat had to be shut up.

Robert ran to the writing desk and picked up the antique letter opener. He couldn't remember the last letter he opened with it, but a big fuzzy one should be-

"No." Again it was calm, and again it had disproportionate force behind it.

A clawed hand shot up and pointed at him almost instantly. A small yellow bolt hit his hand. The letter opener flew across the room and skidded under the book case. His hand wasn't in pain, just warm. A new source of light got his unfocused attention, and he twisted wildly back towards Asriel. He wasn't smiling anymore, but his eyes were still bright and focused. Something floated over his chest. A heart glowing brightly. White in the center, encased in yellow.

*Your soul is filled with JUSTICE.

"What the hell is that?!"

"Jimmy."

The name that started this stoked his rage. A large vase was within arm's reach, and said arms grabbed it.

 _PING. Smash!_ What smelled like... blue?

Forced to his knees and hands like he suddenly gained four hundred pounds, the shards of the vase before him, he struggled to raise his head. Looking past Asriel to the window, out onto the street, a figure was standing in the shadows. A brilliantly blue eye shining like a star.

"I think it's time..."

Asriel carefully swept the shards aside with his foot as he stepped forward. Robert looked up defiantly, rage overriding any fear he would normally feel.

"I think it's time... that you had a heart to heart with your son."

The heart filled his vision. The yellow flashed as it turned a vibrant red, and Robert lost all sense of where he was...

* * *

He was looking up at a woman he hadn't seen in decades, though she looked older than when they last met. She was reading a letter.

"Twice, Jimmy? I could understand once, we all have our bad days, but couldn't you keep it in after the first time you went to the principal's office?"

"But Mom," the voice was young and full of indignation, and Robert felt his absolute confidence in his arguments. ", you checked that piece of homework with me, remember? Washington definitely never said that, it was a myth! It's not fair I got marked down for saying that!"

Sarah looked thoughtful. "That's true. But still, getting into a fight with two other boys at recess?"

"The teacher never saw that they were picking on Paula. I just told them to leave her alone, they threw the first punch!"

She sighed a little, and appraised her son, looking for deceit. None was apparent. She smiled.

"Sounds like you've been trying to make things fair."

"Like you always said, Mom."

"Well if I can get time off work I can have a word with the principal. You don't need to make the world fair on your own. I know unfair things make me angry, too. Just try not to act on that anger immediately until I can straighten things out, okay?"

"Okay!"

He ran up and hugged her in gratitude. As she returned the gesture, he noticed another letter on the nearby table.

"Mom, what does 'arrears' mean?"

A pang of worry crossed her face. "Don't worry about it, Jimmy. I'm gonna sort that letter out. I just need a little help."

"Can I help?"

"No, sweetie, but thanks for offering. Now, who do you want to invite to your birthday?"

* * *

He was jostled about in the back of the van. His body ached from being roughly grabbed on the street, lying on a hard floor for maybe a day, and now bumping into assorted tools for hours. On top of that, his wrists stung from all the struggling he was doing. But he wasn't giving up.

It paid off. His hand came free. The wrist was badly bruised from his efforts. The two men were arguing about the radio. They had been pretty slack compared to kidnappers on TV. They hadn't even taken his toy gun off him. The noisy engine provided his cover as he quietly wrestled with the back door. No good, it was locked.

"HEY!"

The passenger had looked back. Out of options, it seemed there was only one thing to do. He hurled his gun at them.

"OW! I'll kill you you little f-"

"The road!"

The distraction had been perfectly timed. The world flipped over and over. There was a deafening roar of twisting metal and crunching wood and shouting and-

He woke up. He was lying on what had been the ceiling of the van. Despite the violence of the crash, he appeared to have only gotten a few scrapes, though with his earlier rough handing he probably looked awful. His gun lay near him, so he pocketed it. His kidnappers were wrenched from their seats, unconscious and bleeding, but they were both breathing. The back door had vanished. He got to his feet and unsteadily clambered out of the van and into the dark woods.

He didn't want to follow the road in case his captors had the same idea. Maybe if he waited a couple of days he'd head back and follow it until he reached a gas station. In the mean time, he ducked through a narrow gap in the bushes and discovered a path, almost completely overgrown, headed towards a nearby mountain. He picked up the pace as it started to rain, and was glad to soon come across a cave...

* * *

The flowers were the same flowers that he saw after he first fell. Fitting, given that who was tending them looked a lot like who he first met down here.

He had felt bad when the huge figure had turned around and the cheerful "howdy" was left utterly alone as the smile melted off his bearded face. For a moment, he had an idea of what a dad might look like. Even if most dads didn't have horns.

"Oh."

The deep friendly voice sounded diminished as they both understood what was coming.

"Hey there, Mister King."

The King carefully placed his watering can on a table by the throne.

"Perhaps... perhaps you would like a cup of tea?"

"Will tea break the barrier?"

The King closed his eyes.

"I see. To business then. Well. When you're ready, I shall wait for you down here."

"One moment, sir."

"Yes?"

"I tried not to hurt anyone. It would be wrong to hurt them for being in the way. But I have to make sure my Mom's not alone. I have to get back to her. I'm not going to go easy."

The King looked even sadder, but nodded steadily. "It is your duty. As this is mine. I am sorry that they clash like this." 

"But if I do, you know, lose... it's okay, sir."

"It's... I'm sorry?"

"From everything I've read down here, we started this. Some idiots got scared and made this mess. They can't answer for what they did, so we have to deal with it. Don't feel too bad if you win, sir. It's only fair for your people that the King does all he can for them."

Robert felt astounded at what this boy was resolved to do. Such convictions had always been in the realm of fantasy in his experience. What had he missed out on? He dwelled on this as he followed the King past the throne, eyeing one flower that seemed slightly larger than the others...

* * *

"Ha ha. I don't want to let go."

Robert now felt like he lacked a body as he watched two small figures embrace. The airs of being a bully the fuzzy child had tried to put up was gone. He had then marshalled everyone and they had done an amazing piece of magic. It was so cool!

And now the boy had to go.

It gnawed at him as the boy walked away. He could feel the five friends he had made after meeting the King moving on. Where to, he didn't know, although he felt it call to him too. Wherever it was, he somehow knew he had nothing to fear from it. Quite the opposite in fact.

But still, it gnawed at him.

He made up his mind.

* * *

"Don't you have anything better to do?"

He watched the two of them stand among the flowers. The human looked as pained as he felt. With a sudden flash of determination a red glow appeared from their chest.

"What-?! I can't take that-!"

Now this wasn't right. All those friends the human had made would miss them terribly. They were thinking along the same line as he was however, and he had to respect that. It made this decision easier.

As he floated down, he became aware of golden light he was giving off. The threatened argument between the two children died.

"Is that one of the...?"

Before either could react, he zoomed headlong into the green and yellow jumper. Everything went white. When that faded, he was looking directly at the astonished human, something white and furry between his eyes.

"What?! What's going on? Why do I feel... solid?"

_Hey there. I'm Jimmy._

"Jimmy?!" The human looked puzzled. "What are you doing?"

_Looked like you could use some company._

"But I can't hold on to you! You should rest. It's not fair!"

_You're not holding on. I'm hanging around by my own choice. What's not fair is you being left all alone after everything you've done._

"But... I've done a lot more than what you saw."

It was true. It flashed through his mind, and he shuddered his host's shoulders as he felt the brand new anguish about it. It didn't deter him however.

_Well sitting here being unable to feel bad about it won't help anyone. You wanna make things right, you gotta work for it._

"I... I don't know if I can."

_Well I think you can. And so does this kid in front of you. We'll help you out._

"You... are you sure?" His host's flicker of hope warmed him.

_I've got nothing better to do._

* * *

The visions ended. Robert felt his proper weight again. His face was wet. He had no memories of what he had done during the visions.

"He... he really was something..."

"Yep." the cheerful voice was as if they had discussed nothing more serious than the weather. Warm fuzzy hands held his. He appreciated it. "I've only had two other friends that close. He was... he _IS_ something special."

"And I wanted nothing to do with him... how could I..."

"It's easy to focus on the wrong things. Pain, fear, rage. I've seen them all trump love, and it's never ended well." In spite of everything, the young man was still smiling.

"I don't think I can... live with what I did..."

"I know that feeling too." Asriel stopped him. "The feeling that it can never be enough. And in many ways it can't. But that doesn't mean you give up. You keep trying and trying to make it right, and as long as you do, that's all that can be asked of you. Took me a while to get that."

Silence. Neither knew for how long.

"Alright." he muttered. There was defeat in his voice, but also determination. "I'll confess. I'm over the hill anyway. Tell Jimmy... tell Jimmy I..."

"Don't worry, he knows."

A phone emerged from Asriel's pocket. With a few quick taps he turned it round. Robert read it as the phrase 'CROSSWORD COMPLETE' sent to another number.

"My friend got excited about using codewords. Now just to make sure, another friend of mine is watching the house. You might have noticed him. You can do it tomorrow. If you renege or try to flee, well he says that will be a bad time."

It was a completely unnecessary threat, they both knew it. Quite unprovoked by his own thoughts, Asriel threw his arms around Robert Coline. It was a hug big enough for three. When he next spoke, his tone, previously determined to sound adult, was now unabashedly a child's tone.

"Be seeing you... Dad."

And with that, he picked himself up, and struck a surprisingly impressive figure as he headed for the front door.

"all wrapped up, bucko?"

"Heh, yeah. He'll do the right thing."

"you're damn right he will."

Asriel walked down the street.

"So that went pretty well. You want me to go talk to your Mom? Hmm, yeah, she might not be ready for that, better let Dad meet her first. But beyond that..." a little uncomfortable, "...are you sure you still want to... stick around? Wouldn't be fair since I don't have anything else to offer you... really? Well, never thought about it like that. Thanks! ...I told you, the hat doesn't fit anymore once my horns grew in. Why do you think Dad's crown is so small? Well, back to school in the morning, I need to catch up if I wanna get into astronomy. No, stars are not boring, have you ever seen a supernova? Well, maybe we can compromise. How about a double major...?"

**Author's Note:**

> Original draft: https://pastebin.com/CmYfgxNr
> 
> Let me know what you think, and thanks for reading!


End file.
